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Magpie
Some houses don’t just haunt you—they claim you.
Maggie isn’t sure when she started to feel it—that slow drift into numbness. Her passions feel like distant memories. Her friendships are fading. Her own life feels like something she’s watching from outside her body. So when she follows her friends into a famed haunted house on Halloween night, she doesn’t expect to walk out changed—because she doesn’t walk out at all.
Inside the House of twisting shadows, something calls to her. Something ancient, hungry, and eerily familiar. She becomes Magpie, bound to the house’s twisted master, a dark mage who collects broken souls to fuel his magic. In one timeline, Magpie is pulled deeper into the house’s illusions and monstrous truths. In the other, years later, Maggie tries to rebuild her life, tries to outrun the darkness—until the house comes calling again.
When the mage steals the one thing tethering her to this new world, Maggie is forced to return—not to escape her past, but to confront the creeping dark inside her, and finally choose whether to surrender or fight for her life.
Magpie is a haunting, allegorical fantasy for fans of dark magic, lyrical prose, and stories that explore the shadows we carry within us.
Maggie isn’t sure when she started to feel it—that slow drift into numbness. Her passions feel like distant memories. Her friendships are fading. Her own life feels like something she’s watching from outside her body. So when she follows her friends into a famed haunted house on Halloween night, she doesn’t expect to walk out changed—because she doesn’t walk out at all.
Inside the House of twisting shadows, something calls to her. Something ancient, hungry, and eerily familiar. She becomes Magpie, bound to the house’s twisted master, a dark mage who collects broken souls to fuel his magic. In one timeline, Magpie is pulled deeper into the house’s illusions and monstrous truths. In the other, years later, Maggie tries to rebuild her life, tries to outrun the darkness—until the house comes calling again.
When the mage steals the one thing tethering her to this new world, Maggie is forced to return—not to escape her past, but to confront the creeping dark inside her, and finally choose whether to surrender or fight for her life.
Magpie is a haunting, allegorical fantasy for fans of dark magic, lyrical prose, and stories that explore the shadows we carry within us.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2025
12 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Parker A. Garner
3 books40 followersParker A. Garner is an author based in Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their many beloved pets. A lifelong lover of storytelling, she has been writing for as long as she can remember and eventually followed her passion into publishing. When she's not crafting new stories, Parker enjoys traveling and immersing herself in different cultures, always seeking inspiration in the people and places she encounters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
October 11, 2025
“Life has always been the key to death.” 🔑
The curtains are pulled back to bare a glimpse into the soul (the story shaped by the author’s experiences). Sometimes the darkest times can shed the most light and help someone find their way. Be sure to check out the authors note prior to reading.
On Halloween night, Maggie follows her friends into a famous haunted house. She doesn’t expect much and she certainly doesn’t expect to be claimed by the house!
Now Maggie has become Magpie and she is bound to the house master, a dark mage who collects broken souls to fuel his magic.
Maggie must choose whether to fight for her life or become one with the darkness of the house.
This spooky story with a gothic atmosphere truly brings the shadows to the forefront and is not afraid to express the rawness of life.
I enjoy the magic and learning about the keys! And the imagery is fantastic throughout the book!
“The light might have abandoned me, but I am no stranger to the dark.”
Perfect timing for spooky season reading but do protect your mental wellbeing!
Thank you to the author, Parker A Garner, and Torch Lit Ink for the opportunity to read this book. I received an epub and am leaving my review voluntarily.
The curtains are pulled back to bare a glimpse into the soul (the story shaped by the author’s experiences). Sometimes the darkest times can shed the most light and help someone find their way. Be sure to check out the authors note prior to reading.
On Halloween night, Maggie follows her friends into a famous haunted house. She doesn’t expect much and she certainly doesn’t expect to be claimed by the house!
Now Maggie has become Magpie and she is bound to the house master, a dark mage who collects broken souls to fuel his magic.
Maggie must choose whether to fight for her life or become one with the darkness of the house.
This spooky story with a gothic atmosphere truly brings the shadows to the forefront and is not afraid to express the rawness of life.
I enjoy the magic and learning about the keys! And the imagery is fantastic throughout the book!
“The light might have abandoned me, but I am no stranger to the dark.”
Perfect timing for spooky season reading but do protect your mental wellbeing!
Thank you to the author, Parker A Garner, and Torch Lit Ink for the opportunity to read this book. I received an epub and am leaving my review voluntarily.
October 10, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ What did I just read? This was fantastic! It was spooky, eerie, raw and un-put-down-able. The perfect book for spooky season!
Thank you, Parker A. Garner and TorchLit Ink for the opportunity to ARC read Magpie! I had the best time with this book!
Parker A. Garner's writing style was brilliant and haunting. This book had me on an emotional roller coaster along you all the characters. I absolutely appreciate when a book makes me FEEL.
I really loved the atmospheric vibes, the dual timelines and the mental health representation. This book was raw and unique in such a beautifully haunting way. It completely took me by surprise! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dark fantasy with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Well done, Parker A. Garner! 👏🏽
Thank you, Parker A. Garner and TorchLit Ink for the opportunity to ARC read Magpie! I had the best time with this book!
Parker A. Garner's writing style was brilliant and haunting. This book had me on an emotional roller coaster along you all the characters. I absolutely appreciate when a book makes me FEEL.
I really loved the atmospheric vibes, the dual timelines and the mental health representation. This book was raw and unique in such a beautifully haunting way. It completely took me by surprise! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dark fantasy with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Well done, Parker A. Garner! 👏🏽
October 3, 2025
arc review to come 🖤
September 15, 2025
✨ ARC Review ✨
WOW WOW WOW! Garner’s writing is an eerie masterpiece. It’s an intimate exploration of what it feels like to go numb, to lose yourself, and to claw your way back to feeling alive. This book truly tugged at my heart as the FMC, Maggie, experiences the struggles of depression. Magpie is beautifully written and alters your brain chemistry in the best of ways.
Garner perfectly captures the raw, messy, and beautiful process of clawing your way out of the dark. Magpie felt like a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt swallowed by the night and still found a way to rise. This book possessed me. I read it in one breathless sitting🖤
WOW WOW WOW! Garner’s writing is an eerie masterpiece. It’s an intimate exploration of what it feels like to go numb, to lose yourself, and to claw your way back to feeling alive. This book truly tugged at my heart as the FMC, Maggie, experiences the struggles of depression. Magpie is beautifully written and alters your brain chemistry in the best of ways.
Garner perfectly captures the raw, messy, and beautiful process of clawing your way out of the dark. Magpie felt like a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt swallowed by the night and still found a way to rise. This book possessed me. I read it in one breathless sitting🖤
October 19, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Magpie by Parker A. Garner
My second five star read in a row. I think it’s safe to say I’m deep in my dark, spooky, feminine rage era.
“Which do you think is true power, the ability to predict death, or to have complete control over it?”
Before anything else…please, protect your mental health. This book deals with some really heavy, triggering themes. Check the warnings before you start!!
I found myself saying throughout this novel how it would have made a fantastic season of American Horror Story. Seriously, Ryan Murphy would eat this up.
“I was scared of life. Terrified of it. So utterly petrified of the very idea of it that I ran into the arms of a monster to avoid it.”
Magpie hit me in a place I didn’t expect. It’s eerie, sad, beautiful, and painfully real. It doesn’t just talk about depression, it builds an entire dark fantasy world around it. You see it, you feel it, you live inside it with Maggie. Watching her slip deeper into that darkness, loneliness, numbness, the despair that sneaks up on you, was heartbreaking. And then watching her try to live with what she became and fight for the light was unforgettable.
This book is about losing yourself, giving in to the dark, and realizing too late what it cost you. But it’s also about wanting more, even after everything.
Somehow, Parker makes it feel both horrifying, and romantic. I was hooked start to finish. I already ordered the rest of her books, and I’m looking forward to more of Ronan and Lyric’s story.
My second five star read in a row. I think it’s safe to say I’m deep in my dark, spooky, feminine rage era.
“Which do you think is true power, the ability to predict death, or to have complete control over it?”
Before anything else…please, protect your mental health. This book deals with some really heavy, triggering themes. Check the warnings before you start!!
I found myself saying throughout this novel how it would have made a fantastic season of American Horror Story. Seriously, Ryan Murphy would eat this up.
“I was scared of life. Terrified of it. So utterly petrified of the very idea of it that I ran into the arms of a monster to avoid it.”
Magpie hit me in a place I didn’t expect. It’s eerie, sad, beautiful, and painfully real. It doesn’t just talk about depression, it builds an entire dark fantasy world around it. You see it, you feel it, you live inside it with Maggie. Watching her slip deeper into that darkness, loneliness, numbness, the despair that sneaks up on you, was heartbreaking. And then watching her try to live with what she became and fight for the light was unforgettable.
This book is about losing yourself, giving in to the dark, and realizing too late what it cost you. But it’s also about wanting more, even after everything.
Somehow, Parker makes it feel both horrifying, and romantic. I was hooked start to finish. I already ordered the rest of her books, and I’m looking forward to more of Ronan and Lyric’s story.
September 20, 2025
Are you a spooky Halloween person that likes mystery and pain of human existence? If so you should read this book. It’s perfect for October too! Haunted House 🏚️👻, Death personified 💀, Lost Soul finding herself 💗, Villian to hate 👿, FMC to love 🥰
If you were a fan of One Dark Window (the Nightmare) and the heartstrings pulled in The Invisible Life of Addie Larue - you will love this. Highly recommend because this is a unique story you have definitely not read before!
Tropes
Dual Timeline / Then & Now
Dark Academia Meets Haunted House
Falling for the Monster / Morally Gray Love Interest
The House is Alive
Deal with the Devil
Found in the Dark / Lost to the Light
Girl Unravels (and Rebuilds)
Mental Health as Magic / Allegorical Fantasy
Power Imbalance Romance
Tragic Past, Dangerous Present
Emotionally Complex Heroine
Open Door Spice in a Gothic World
Villain Love Interest (…or is he?)
Trauma Bonding
Escaping a Toxic Bond
Confronting the Past to Save the Future
Beauty in the Macabre
Haunting as Healing
Releases 10/3 - I was able to read this early via ARC
If you were a fan of One Dark Window (the Nightmare) and the heartstrings pulled in The Invisible Life of Addie Larue - you will love this. Highly recommend because this is a unique story you have definitely not read before!
Tropes
Dual Timeline / Then & Now
Dark Academia Meets Haunted House
Falling for the Monster / Morally Gray Love Interest
The House is Alive
Deal with the Devil
Found in the Dark / Lost to the Light
Girl Unravels (and Rebuilds)
Mental Health as Magic / Allegorical Fantasy
Power Imbalance Romance
Tragic Past, Dangerous Present
Emotionally Complex Heroine
Open Door Spice in a Gothic World
Villain Love Interest (…or is he?)
Trauma Bonding
Escaping a Toxic Bond
Confronting the Past to Save the Future
Beauty in the Macabre
Haunting as Healing
Releases 10/3 - I was able to read this early via ARC
September 19, 2025
this book was hauntingly lovely to read. it was powerful, eerie, emotional, and devastating. i could relate so much to our fmc, maggie. her dread, her numbness, her hope. everything about her was like an echo chamber of things i’ve felt my whole life. i found myself tearing up or fully crying during many parts of this story.
maggie is an incredible fmc. her emotions are real and raw and dark, suffocating her until all she can do to cope is feel numb. she trades one type of coldness for another. the house and its leader are haunting metaphors for the way a person’s mind can twist and turn and agonize them.
throughout her spiral into the dark depths of despair, though, she manages to claw her way out. she manages to find that bright spot in the dark. there is *always* that light for us all. it can get better. we will not always be numb.
combine the amazingly raw and powerful mental health representation with the gothic vibes of the haunted house and the ringleader running the show, this book was unforgettable. thank you to the author for the advanced reader’s copy. i would recommend this to anyone who’s looking for something emotionally impactful, haunting, and just spooky enough for the -ber months.
maggie is an incredible fmc. her emotions are real and raw and dark, suffocating her until all she can do to cope is feel numb. she trades one type of coldness for another. the house and its leader are haunting metaphors for the way a person’s mind can twist and turn and agonize them.
throughout her spiral into the dark depths of despair, though, she manages to claw her way out. she manages to find that bright spot in the dark. there is *always* that light for us all. it can get better. we will not always be numb.
combine the amazingly raw and powerful mental health representation with the gothic vibes of the haunted house and the ringleader running the show, this book was unforgettable. thank you to the author for the advanced reader’s copy. i would recommend this to anyone who’s looking for something emotionally impactful, haunting, and just spooky enough for the -ber months.
October 6, 2025
Magpie was haunting, lyrical, and a book that gave me chills in some scenes that will have you head over heels for the monster! Absolutely loved and adored this book and so happy I was able to read this one in advance. I’ve been obsessed with Parker’s Romantasy series, The Fates Entwined and when I heard she was writing a dark academia meets haunted house, say less! I knew I would fall in love and this book is absolutely perfect for spooky season! 🖤
This was raw, haunting, but alluring that takes you into a whole new world right from page 1! This story will give you healing and some heavy moments you can feel touched or related to that just makes the reading experience more beautiful. You will feel every emotion, embrace the heartbreak and sorrow this book delivered that will consume your soul. It really makes you want to be part of this gothic tale and will leave you on a chokehold!
Big thank you to Parker and Torchlit Ink for the eARC and gifted PR Box! Everything was so beautiful and excited for more readers to add this to their TBR this fall! 🖤✨👻
This was raw, haunting, but alluring that takes you into a whole new world right from page 1! This story will give you healing and some heavy moments you can feel touched or related to that just makes the reading experience more beautiful. You will feel every emotion, embrace the heartbreak and sorrow this book delivered that will consume your soul. It really makes you want to be part of this gothic tale and will leave you on a chokehold!
Big thank you to Parker and Torchlit Ink for the eARC and gifted PR Box! Everything was so beautiful and excited for more readers to add this to their TBR this fall! 🖤✨👻
October 6, 2025
From the very first page, Magpie pulled me into its eerie, sentient world. The house isn't just a setting, it's a living, breathing entity that feeds on grief, guilt, and the ghosts of the mind. Maggie's journey through its dark corridors mirrors the struggle of battling your own inner shadows, and that's what makes this story so devastatingly human.
There's something deeply symbolic about the way Magpie explores mental health and healing. The dual timelines weave together despair and redemption in such an atmospheric, gothic way that I found myself lingering on every line. The prose is lyrical yet heavy, like fog over a graveyard, haunting, beautiful, and raw.
Garner captures the ache of loneliness, the pull of darkness, and the small, stubborn hope of light better than almost any gothic fantasy I've read this year. Maggie isn't just fighting a haunted house, she's fighting herself.
There's something deeply symbolic about the way Magpie explores mental health and healing. The dual timelines weave together despair and redemption in such an atmospheric, gothic way that I found myself lingering on every line. The prose is lyrical yet heavy, like fog over a graveyard, haunting, beautiful, and raw.
Garner captures the ache of loneliness, the pull of darkness, and the small, stubborn hope of light better than almost any gothic fantasy I've read this year. Maggie isn't just fighting a haunted house, she's fighting herself.
November 6, 2025
DNF at 26%. I think the writing and the story have a lot of potential but for me the delivery and format of the story was not it. We got a back and forth between past and present which can be done well but I don’t think it was the way to go with this story. I almost DNF’d sooner but our MMC made his appearance and I was curious, unfortunately it just didn’t grasp me the way I had hoped.
I definitely seem to be in the minority here though cause it seems like everyone else enjoyed it.
I received an ARC from Torchlit Ink in exchange for my honest review.
I definitely seem to be in the minority here though cause it seems like everyone else enjoyed it.
I received an ARC from Torchlit Ink in exchange for my honest review.
September 30, 2025
The doors to life’s choices are before you, which do you take? Which key holds your lifeline?
That’s what Maggie discovers when she visits the Wandering House. Alister, the magician, who holds the keys to her life, promises her a life without pain. Maggie will have to make hard choices, face reality and either succumb to the darkness or fight for the light!
The push and pull of Alister and Maggie’s relationship is intense with desperation, control and manipulation. Each character in this book plays a unique part to how Maggie copes.
The atmosphere is richly descriptive. I loved the dark entity of the house, the representation it holds, and the magical vibes it gives.
This book is beautifully balanced between real life and fantasy. I hung onto every word and resonated with the emotion portrayed in this story. My heart goes to anyone that resonates and the author for pouring her heart and soul into this!
Parker Garner’s “Magpie”portrays how easily the darkness takes a hold and doesn’t let go. The will to survive and come back to the light that was once there is a brutal fight.
I highly recommend this book!! Even if you aren’t a typical fantasy reader. The plot easy to follow and climactic right up to the end!! Fabulous job! I can’t wait to read what’s next!
That’s what Maggie discovers when she visits the Wandering House. Alister, the magician, who holds the keys to her life, promises her a life without pain. Maggie will have to make hard choices, face reality and either succumb to the darkness or fight for the light!
The push and pull of Alister and Maggie’s relationship is intense with desperation, control and manipulation. Each character in this book plays a unique part to how Maggie copes.
The atmosphere is richly descriptive. I loved the dark entity of the house, the representation it holds, and the magical vibes it gives.
This book is beautifully balanced between real life and fantasy. I hung onto every word and resonated with the emotion portrayed in this story. My heart goes to anyone that resonates and the author for pouring her heart and soul into this!
Parker Garner’s “Magpie”portrays how easily the darkness takes a hold and doesn’t let go. The will to survive and come back to the light that was once there is a brutal fight.
I highly recommend this book!! Even if you aren’t a typical fantasy reader. The plot easy to follow and climactic right up to the end!! Fabulous job! I can’t wait to read what’s next!
October 17, 2025
I don’t think I’ll ever get over this book. This one was delightfully spooky with all the gothic vibes, but it was also so much more than that. It was emotionally raw and hauntingly beautiful from the start, and it left me sobbing by the end.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know that I even have the right words to adequately review this book. This one left a lasting impact on my soul.
Maggie’s character resonated with me so deeply. Anyone who has ever had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with depression will likely feel the same. She was raw and imperfect, and so beautifully written. Parker A. Garner also delivered masterfully on the dual timelines in this book.
I applaud Garner’s bravery and vulnerability in writing her depression as a character. She perfectly captured how the numbness and nothingness creeps in and takes over with depression, and how you sometimes have to fight like hell to find the light again.
‼️I’ll be recommending Magpie to everyone I can, but please read the note to the reader at the beginning of the book for content warnings before starting this one to protect your own peace and mental health. While this book is absolutely worth it, it will leave you feeling all the feels.
Thank you so much to Parker A. Garner and Torch Lit Ink for the gifted copy of this masterpiece! 🖤
I’ll be honest, I don’t know that I even have the right words to adequately review this book. This one left a lasting impact on my soul.
Maggie’s character resonated with me so deeply. Anyone who has ever had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with depression will likely feel the same. She was raw and imperfect, and so beautifully written. Parker A. Garner also delivered masterfully on the dual timelines in this book.
I applaud Garner’s bravery and vulnerability in writing her depression as a character. She perfectly captured how the numbness and nothingness creeps in and takes over with depression, and how you sometimes have to fight like hell to find the light again.
‼️I’ll be recommending Magpie to everyone I can, but please read the note to the reader at the beginning of the book for content warnings before starting this one to protect your own peace and mental health. While this book is absolutely worth it, it will leave you feeling all the feels.
Thank you so much to Parker A. Garner and Torch Lit Ink for the gifted copy of this masterpiece! 🖤
October 11, 2025
Some houses don’t just haunt you—they claim you. This book isnt just about haunted houses. It is a metaphor for fear, depression, isolation...how it stalks, envelopes, and haunts you. This story was eerie, and oddly healing. Watching maggie try to claw to the other side. The read was heavy, but also light, good pace, and encapsulating story telling that instantly sucks you in.
Maggie isn’t sure when she started to feel it-that slow drift into numbness. Her passions feel like distant memories. Her friendships are fading. Her own life feels like something she’s watching from outside her body. Inside the House of twisting shadows, something calls to her. Something ancient, hungry, and eerily familiar. She becomes Magpie, bound to the house’s twisted master, a dark mage who collects broken souls to fuel his magic.
Magpie is a haunting, allegorical fantasy for fans of dark magic, lyrical prose, and stories that explore the shadows we carry within us.
Maggie isn’t sure when she started to feel it-that slow drift into numbness. Her passions feel like distant memories. Her friendships are fading. Her own life feels like something she’s watching from outside her body. Inside the House of twisting shadows, something calls to her. Something ancient, hungry, and eerily familiar. She becomes Magpie, bound to the house’s twisted master, a dark mage who collects broken souls to fuel his magic.
Magpie is a haunting, allegorical fantasy for fans of dark magic, lyrical prose, and stories that explore the shadows we carry within us.
October 2, 2025
“Darkness has a way of claiming what it wants, refusing to let it roam freely in the daylight.”
This book is an absolute masterpiece. One of my top reads of 2025, hands down.
The descriptive writing makes you feel as though you’re there, living every moment with the FMC. It’s dark, so dark, it’s spooky, haunting, and real. The writing is Parker’s best work yet. I am blown away at her storytelling and writing abilities.
Only those who have lived in the deepest darkness could write about it in this way. As I’ve also been there, I recognize it in this story. Like an embrace. Like I know intimately what it’s like to be enveloped in this darkness. God I love this story so much. Thank you Parker for choosing to be vulnerable. Thank you for writing this story and sharing it with us.
*I received an advanced copy of this book. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
This book is an absolute masterpiece. One of my top reads of 2025, hands down.
The descriptive writing makes you feel as though you’re there, living every moment with the FMC. It’s dark, so dark, it’s spooky, haunting, and real. The writing is Parker’s best work yet. I am blown away at her storytelling and writing abilities.
Only those who have lived in the deepest darkness could write about it in this way. As I’ve also been there, I recognize it in this story. Like an embrace. Like I know intimately what it’s like to be enveloped in this darkness. God I love this story so much. Thank you Parker for choosing to be vulnerable. Thank you for writing this story and sharing it with us.
*I received an advanced copy of this book. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
October 8, 2025
"Give me your key, and I will give you the world," he whispers
Tropes:
- Mental Health as Magic
- Tragic Past, Dangerous Present
- Dual Timelines
- Red Threads
- Academia Meets Haunted Houses
- Falling for the Morally Grey Monster
Thoughts: I'm honestly speechless trying to express how much I love this book. I feel like every book Parker writes becomes one of my favorites. I knew this would be one (especially considering she's an aficionado of haunted houses). Follow the blood red threads & keys into this haunted read that speaks to the soul on the difficulties of depression & trauma & guides you to the light.
P.s. Thank you Parker for allowing me my delusions of thinking you named Jessica after me <3
Tropes:
- Mental Health as Magic
- Tragic Past, Dangerous Present
- Dual Timelines
- Red Threads
- Academia Meets Haunted Houses
- Falling for the Morally Grey Monster
Thoughts: I'm honestly speechless trying to express how much I love this book. I feel like every book Parker writes becomes one of my favorites. I knew this would be one (especially considering she's an aficionado of haunted houses). Follow the blood red threads & keys into this haunted read that speaks to the soul on the difficulties of depression & trauma & guides you to the light.
P.s. Thank you Parker for allowing me my delusions of thinking you named Jessica after me <3
September 14, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magpie is such a perfect Halloween read—creepy, dark, and impossible to put down. Maggie was a fascinating FMC and Alistair was exactly the kind of villain that gets under your skin—intense and unforgettable. Their messy, push-and-pull kept me flipping pages to see how it would end.
The story is a gothic horror mixed with dark fantasy masterpiece, but what really stood out to me was how it handled depression, numbness, and mental health. Maggie’s struggles felt raw and believable, which made the story that much more dynamic. This book was creepy, emotional, and tense..I couldn’t stop reading , I literally finished this in a day.
Magpie is such a perfect Halloween read—creepy, dark, and impossible to put down. Maggie was a fascinating FMC and Alistair was exactly the kind of villain that gets under your skin—intense and unforgettable. Their messy, push-and-pull kept me flipping pages to see how it would end.
The story is a gothic horror mixed with dark fantasy masterpiece, but what really stood out to me was how it handled depression, numbness, and mental health. Maggie’s struggles felt raw and believable, which made the story that much more dynamic. This book was creepy, emotional, and tense..I couldn’t stop reading , I literally finished this in a day.
September 29, 2025
3.75 ⭐️ rounded up ~
The magic system in this book was really interesting. I think the concept of the haunted house was VERY clever, and the keys were very cool. It was a bit of a slow start, and the first 50% left me with A LOT of questions. As the timelines came together, those questions did get answered - and it was a shocking revelation. I wish it were a little longer so it could have provided more detail and explanation in the end, but I thought it was a really great read. The ending made me shed a tear!
Thank you to the author and TorchLitInk for the opportunity to read this early!
The magic system in this book was really interesting. I think the concept of the haunted house was VERY clever, and the keys were very cool. It was a bit of a slow start, and the first 50% left me with A LOT of questions. As the timelines came together, those questions did get answered - and it was a shocking revelation. I wish it were a little longer so it could have provided more detail and explanation in the end, but I thought it was a really great read. The ending made me shed a tear!
Thank you to the author and TorchLitInk for the opportunity to read this early!
September 19, 2025
Magpie is not just a gothic fantasy. It is a mirror held up to the quiet, relentless shadows of depression. The haunted house, the mage, the twisting illusions… they are more than just eerie set pieces. They are metaphors that crawl under your skin, capturing the way depression follows you, waits for you, and clings to you in your lowest moments.
Reading this was unnerving because it felt so real. As someone who has struggled with depression most of my life, there were parts that hit painfully close. That numbness Maggie feels, the way it both protects and suffocates, was like looking into a reflection I did not always want to see. The book reminded me of that paradox: medication can offer blessed relief, a reprieve from the crushing weight, but it also smooths away all the edges, even the beautiful ones. And yet, slowly, you remember that feelings are messy, but they are also what make life worth living.
I also loved Parker A. Garner’s imagery. The haunted houses, the magic, and the spice woven into the rituals made the world come alive in dark and unsettling ways. Her prose is both lyrical and haunting, pulling you into scenes that feel almost cinematic in their atmosphere.
That is the strange magic of Magpie. It does not just tell a spooky story with gothic atmosphere and a chilling house that refuses to let go. It confronts the reality of what it means to claw your way back into the light. It says yes, depression may always linger at the edges, but survival is possible. And in surviving, we can learn to see the beauty in both the dark and the light.
This book is eerie, lyrical, and hauntingly raw. For those who have fought through the shadows and emerged changed, Magpie will feel both devastating and healing. A powerful read for anyone who wants their gothic fiction to speak to the deepest corners of the human experience.
Reading this was unnerving because it felt so real. As someone who has struggled with depression most of my life, there were parts that hit painfully close. That numbness Maggie feels, the way it both protects and suffocates, was like looking into a reflection I did not always want to see. The book reminded me of that paradox: medication can offer blessed relief, a reprieve from the crushing weight, but it also smooths away all the edges, even the beautiful ones. And yet, slowly, you remember that feelings are messy, but they are also what make life worth living.
I also loved Parker A. Garner’s imagery. The haunted houses, the magic, and the spice woven into the rituals made the world come alive in dark and unsettling ways. Her prose is both lyrical and haunting, pulling you into scenes that feel almost cinematic in their atmosphere.
That is the strange magic of Magpie. It does not just tell a spooky story with gothic atmosphere and a chilling house that refuses to let go. It confronts the reality of what it means to claw your way back into the light. It says yes, depression may always linger at the edges, but survival is possible. And in surviving, we can learn to see the beauty in both the dark and the light.
This book is eerie, lyrical, and hauntingly raw. For those who have fought through the shadows and emerged changed, Magpie will feel both devastating and healing. A powerful read for anyone who wants their gothic fiction to speak to the deepest corners of the human experience.
September 24, 2025
Magpie was absolutely mind-bending. I found myself having to set the book down more than once just to digest everything I had read. The narrative shifts between timelines, which takes focus but makes the story even more compelling once you’re drawn in. It’s beautifully written and the perfect book to pick up during the Halloween season if you’re looking for something dark, atmospheric, and thought-provoking.
September 12, 2025
Not gonna lie, I was confused when I first started reading. But I think confusion is part of the allure of this book. The more you want to understand, the more you’ll read, and when you finally understand what’s going on.. your jaw will drop.
Magpie is everything you don’t know you need in a book. It’s tragic and beautiful.. and definitely a story that will stick with you for a while.
Magpie is everything you don’t know you need in a book. It’s tragic and beautiful.. and definitely a story that will stick with you for a while.
September 29, 2025
Reading through this book and trying to figure out what was going to happen next was so interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and having the opportunity to be apart of the arc team for this upcoming release. I give Magpie 4 stars for creativity, thoughtful character dialogues and interesting plot.
November 4, 2025
Personally, I’m not a fan of the back and forth narration style when the back and forth isn’t consistent. Past vs. present, sure I’ll deal. But I wasn’t a fan of introducing other characters into the narration like Allistar (or Allister I can’t remember) and Irina’s chapters. There is a much more complex and satisfying way to introduce these characters’ back stories than to throw us in their timeline like… show don’t tell ya know? It tells me that the author wasn’t confident in their protagonist’s ability to carry the story.
I also am not a fan of throwing in smut to keep the reader engaged when it could have been a perfectly dark and beautiful story otherwise. If you like “spicy” books you will disagree with me, but there are also so many ways to convey control and desire while maintaining the sophistication that could have been this story.
I actually was really moved by the message of the story and found it so relatable, which is maybe why I’m being a little harsh with the review. To be so numb and lost to depression that you’re willing to give literally anything else a chance than your current life. To choose death over and over, and to be filled with regret when you get the smallest taste of life. I think there are so many great things about this book, and could be for you if you’re looking for a spooky season read with demon smut. If you’re looking for a literary masterpiece though… this probably ain’t it.
I also am not a fan of throwing in smut to keep the reader engaged when it could have been a perfectly dark and beautiful story otherwise. If you like “spicy” books you will disagree with me, but there are also so many ways to convey control and desire while maintaining the sophistication that could have been this story.
I actually was really moved by the message of the story and found it so relatable, which is maybe why I’m being a little harsh with the review. To be so numb and lost to depression that you’re willing to give literally anything else a chance than your current life. To choose death over and over, and to be filled with regret when you get the smallest taste of life. I think there are so many great things about this book, and could be for you if you’re looking for a spooky season read with demon smut. If you’re looking for a literary masterpiece though… this probably ain’t it.
November 16, 2025
A sentient haunted Halloween murder house filled with souls? Cool in theory but the other characters never come into play and the house didn’t get a chance to shine. Also, “pretty little bird” made me want to vomit. Maggie annoyed me to no end.
October 7, 2025
Magpie was my first read for October and it lived up to the spooky season. As I read this book I was unsure how I felt about it. It took me until about 75% of the way through to understand that this isn’t your average dark romance book. This is more, this is a book that makes you think about your life, your experiences and how you want to live after you finish this book. Some of the situations and writings reminded me of past times in my life and reading through this and seeing it play out really put a few things in prospective for me. The author did an amazing job writing this book and I am glad it exists in the world!
Tropes:
Dual Timeline / Then & Now
Dark Academia Meets Haunted House
Falling for the Monster / Morally Gray Love Interest
The House is Alive
Deal with the Devil
Found in the Dark / Lost to the Light
Girl Unravels (and Rebuilds)
Mental Health as Magic / Allegorical Fantasy
Power Imbalance Romance
Tragic Past, Dangerous Present
Emotionally Complex Heroine
Open Door Spice in a Gothic World
Villain Love Interest (…or is he?)
Trauma Bonding
Escaping a Toxic Bond
Confronting the Past to Save the Future
Beauty in the Macabre
Haunting as Healing
Tropes:
Dual Timeline / Then & Now
Dark Academia Meets Haunted House
Falling for the Monster / Morally Gray Love Interest
The House is Alive
Deal with the Devil
Found in the Dark / Lost to the Light
Girl Unravels (and Rebuilds)
Mental Health as Magic / Allegorical Fantasy
Power Imbalance Romance
Tragic Past, Dangerous Present
Emotionally Complex Heroine
Open Door Spice in a Gothic World
Villain Love Interest (…or is he?)
Trauma Bonding
Escaping a Toxic Bond
Confronting the Past to Save the Future
Beauty in the Macabre
Haunting as Healing
October 3, 2025
Life has always been the key to death.
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
3.75/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
♡ 𝑀𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈:
I honestly enjoyed this way more than I expected. I picked it up for the fall/horror vibes, but what I actually got blindsided me—in the best way. The magic system was fascinating, especially with keys tied to life force, and the wandering house concept was eerie, mysterious, and completely unique. Those elements alone kept me hooked, but what really surprised me was how layered and emotional the story turned out to be. I did not expect this to have me crying or have me really thinking about life the way it did.
The characters stood out just as much as the plot though I will say I loved them all. Lyric and Ronan’s banter was one of my favorite little touches, and I honestly hope we get to see more of them. Sean’s role in Maggie’s journey brought so much heart, and his presence really added weight to her growth. Sean helped her see that life is truly worth living and that she is strong enough and she always has been. Their story to me was incredible. I also loved/hated what Sean and the other creations represented — that there are so many people out there lost, depressed, aimless and just lonely. All these creation in the wandering house were people who just like Maggie were struggling in one way or another and Alister simply took advantage of them pulling them into the dark. Now, Irina broke my heart—her story is tragic and complicated, and it made me feel for her deeply. She ddi what she did for love, and we can blame her all we want but she’s only human. And Alister’s descent, while unsettling, made sense in its own way: fear twisting into obsession, and obsession into something much darker. Alister was a complicated character and although I relied he had a bit more of layer to him when getting his little flashback it still did not excuse him for anything he had done. Tempting and pulling all these people to give into their darkness was just sad and made me emotional when you think of the metaphors lying beneath every piece of this book.
At its core, this isn’t just about haunting houses or dark magic—it’s about the pain of human existence. It’s an exploration of what it feels like to be depressed, to lose yourself, and to fight your way back to feeling alive or to at least wanting to feel alive. Maggie’s journey through both the past and present time lines does just that. The way her struggles with depression were written was incredible and I loved seeing how she came to realize that life is truly worth living whether through both the good and bad times. I will quickly say the ending had me tearing up and crying a bit I absolutely loved it, felt well deserved and I was just overwhelmingly proud and happy for Maggie.
“What’ll it be, love?”
“Something to warm me up, I’ve been cold for far too long.”
And the acknowledgments? they made me cry and NEVER have I cried through one of those. But truly only someone who has lived in the deepest darkness could write something like this.
Don’t run from the dark, and the hurt, and the pain of life. Embrace it and find the light in the midst of it. Meeting me doesn’t mean a damn if you haven’t actually felt, if you’ve never actually lived.
♡ 𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓁: 🌶️🌶️
I never want to be apart from you. I cannot imagine the rest of this endless life without you, but I cannot continue to watch you waste away in front of me. Alister is going to use you up until there is nothing left, and I’m not going to let him. I love you, pretty bird, but it’s time to set you free.
♡ 𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨:
↦Do not turn back to the life you ran from, the life that does not deserve you. Stay in my arms, and I will keep it from clawing you back.
↦There is no need to whimper for me, Magpie. We have eternity together. You don’t need to savor all of me in one night.
↦Which do you think is true power: the ability to predict death, or to have complete control over it?
↦He lived for their praises. All I lived for was him.
↦He may have become a monster, but to this day he owns every piece of my heart. I can run from him, but I could never kill him.
↦If you want to sleep the night away, that’s fine, but it’s going to be with me beside you.
↦Feel free to run, pretty bird. I’ve daydreamed about chasing you through these halls since I first tasted your sweet lips.
↦I followed you in here because watching you walk behind this door with someone who wasn’t me made me lose my mind. I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else tasting you.
↦I am not a burst of energy added to Alister’s flame. I am not joining in the power, in the endless warmth and light. I am nothing but kindling, and I’m not sure how much longer I can stand to burn.
↦I love you enough to tell you to get the fuck out of this house. To run as far as you can from this place. Run, Maggie, and never look back. Leave this place behind, but know that I will always be with you.
↦Life is hard, Maggie. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something. There is pain, and heartbreak, and sorrow, more than most people deserve. But… it is also beautiful, and rare, and filled with so much magic that it takes my breath away. And you know what? It doesn’t mean a goddamn thing if you don’t let yourself feel it. All of it—the good and the bad
↦There is comfort in the numbness, a familiarity in it.
↦She may have given you her life, Alister, but I’m taking it back.
↦She is all I need in this world, and I cannot imagine ever being parted from her. It would shatter my soul.
↦You gave me a muted world built on lies, The only splendor I knew was in the arms of another. Your embrace gave me nothing. All you do is take, and Alister, I’m done giving.
↦There is no ending him without facing him. The only way to outrun the dark is to go through it.
↦“You can’t live without me, Magpie.”
“Living with you is no life at all.”
↦I was scared of life. Terrified of it. So utterly petrified of the very idea of it that I ran into the arms of a monster to avoid it.
↦all at once, I realize I don’t want to die. As if she was waiting for it, waiting for me to fight to live, even at the bitter end, a smile bursts across her face like the first rays of dawn. She turns to me, grinning.
September 13, 2025
Rating: 3.5 (rounded up)
This is such an amazing example of blending an enticing fantasy story with a resonant reflection of what struggling with mental health is like.
What I loved
I went into the story purely with all of the fantasy elements in mind - Death personified, dark magic, a Halloween setting. . . And it delivered! I loved the journey of finding out more details about the workings of the odious house, the dark mage and his terrible power, and the tension of Maggie trying to keep up her escape from his grip. The plot really picked up for me at the 1/3 mark and kept me compelled.
I really enjoyed how the chapters alternate and provide insight into both Maggie 'now' as she tries to stay free, escaped from the dark mage's powers and everything that means. During other chapters, we get the history and experience of Maggie's experience in 'the darkness' surrounding the mage, the magic in general, and the house (including the symbolism overall of each of those aspects). The perspectives from her evolution of growing increasingly trapped by the dark provided such a great foundation for understanding Maggie's 'current' feelings and behaviors - her intense need to continuously run, continuously escape.
The few chapters we get from other characters' POVs was so much fun, too! They added great complexity to the story and context about what was happening and the history of the dark mage that was enthralling.
Another element I really enjoyed was the relationship development. Maggie's relationships with so many different characters, even those who she doesn't interact with for very long, are so richly described and built. Beyond characters, Maggie's relationship with life, death, and herself are also beautiful aspects of the story. I loved so many of the characters!
Maggie herself is such a complex character, and rather than it feeling as though she didn't have a consistent/stable character (as it can in other stories), her seemingly contradictory (at times) feelings and motivations spoke to her mental health struggles and the battle of that - the battle with yourself in the midst of it all, too.
The magic itself was so unique! The magic of keys in this story is utterly gripping, and I was itching for more and more details throughout the story. I also loved the ending, it truly "made" the book for me! It took a turn I wasn't expecting, and it brought together little details from earlier in the story, along with providing more clarity about the magic. It also reaffirmed the resonating themes of death, life, and what it means to be 'actually' living so beautifully.
Finally, I want to comment on the mental health representation/reflection in this story. This really resonated with me on that level, and I could see my own experience reflected in ways I wouldn't be able to describe myself, but that Garner is able to write in a fantasy frame that makes it both digestible but accurate. I'm not even sure how exactly to describe the mental health representation and impact of the story, but I think that anyone who has struggled with mental health, especially the specific struggles Garner tackles in this story (read TW), will be able to see at least parts of their experience weaved into this story. Even discovering those connections are an experience I don't want to diminish the impact of by talking too much about it. Suffice it to say, Garner has done an amazing job of depicting the battle of mental health.
What was okay for me
The last two chapters definitely made the magic more clear for me, though I will say I was pretty confused about how the magic worked and connected to different characters for a good portion of the story, so I would have loved a bit more clarity about how it worked earlier on (perhaps just more description about how it worked and how specific keys would impact things, not anything that would spoil twists later on). Part of the intrigue of the book is finding out more about the magic as we go on, but I felt like I didn't have enough of a grasp on the functioning to truly appreciate the 'plan' that is devised.
I also struggled a bit with the pacing and writing at times. I found that the first chapter really hooked me, but the middle (particularly the first third) was a bit slow for my preferences. During that lull, I found some of the events and descriptions repetitive. That changed after things picked up, though!
*Thank you to the author and TorchLitInk for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
This is such an amazing example of blending an enticing fantasy story with a resonant reflection of what struggling with mental health is like.
What I loved
I went into the story purely with all of the fantasy elements in mind - Death personified, dark magic, a Halloween setting. . . And it delivered! I loved the journey of finding out more details about the workings of the odious house, the dark mage and his terrible power, and the tension of Maggie trying to keep up her escape from his grip. The plot really picked up for me at the 1/3 mark and kept me compelled.
I really enjoyed how the chapters alternate and provide insight into both Maggie 'now' as she tries to stay free, escaped from the dark mage's powers and everything that means. During other chapters, we get the history and experience of Maggie's experience in 'the darkness' surrounding the mage, the magic in general, and the house (including the symbolism overall of each of those aspects). The perspectives from her evolution of growing increasingly trapped by the dark provided such a great foundation for understanding Maggie's 'current' feelings and behaviors - her intense need to continuously run, continuously escape.
The few chapters we get from other characters' POVs was so much fun, too! They added great complexity to the story and context about what was happening and the history of the dark mage that was enthralling.
Another element I really enjoyed was the relationship development. Maggie's relationships with so many different characters, even those who she doesn't interact with for very long, are so richly described and built. Beyond characters, Maggie's relationship with life, death, and herself are also beautiful aspects of the story. I loved so many of the characters!
Maggie herself is such a complex character, and rather than it feeling as though she didn't have a consistent/stable character (as it can in other stories), her seemingly contradictory (at times) feelings and motivations spoke to her mental health struggles and the battle of that - the battle with yourself in the midst of it all, too.
The magic itself was so unique! The magic of keys in this story is utterly gripping, and I was itching for more and more details throughout the story. I also loved the ending, it truly "made" the book for me! It took a turn I wasn't expecting, and it brought together little details from earlier in the story, along with providing more clarity about the magic. It also reaffirmed the resonating themes of death, life, and what it means to be 'actually' living so beautifully.
Finally, I want to comment on the mental health representation/reflection in this story. This really resonated with me on that level, and I could see my own experience reflected in ways I wouldn't be able to describe myself, but that Garner is able to write in a fantasy frame that makes it both digestible but accurate. I'm not even sure how exactly to describe the mental health representation and impact of the story, but I think that anyone who has struggled with mental health, especially the specific struggles Garner tackles in this story (read TW), will be able to see at least parts of their experience weaved into this story. Even discovering those connections are an experience I don't want to diminish the impact of by talking too much about it. Suffice it to say, Garner has done an amazing job of depicting the battle of mental health.
What was okay for me
The last two chapters definitely made the magic more clear for me, though I will say I was pretty confused about how the magic worked and connected to different characters for a good portion of the story, so I would have loved a bit more clarity about how it worked earlier on (perhaps just more description about how it worked and how specific keys would impact things, not anything that would spoil twists later on). Part of the intrigue of the book is finding out more about the magic as we go on, but I felt like I didn't have enough of a grasp on the functioning to truly appreciate the 'plan' that is devised.
I also struggled a bit with the pacing and writing at times. I found that the first chapter really hooked me, but the middle (particularly the first third) was a bit slow for my preferences. During that lull, I found some of the events and descriptions repetitive. That changed after things picked up, though!
*Thank you to the author and TorchLitInk for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
October 1, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ —- 🌶️🌶️
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬:
𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴/𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴
𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴
𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴
𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯
𝘎𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦
𝘗𝘖𝘝𝘴 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 2 𝘈𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴
"𝘈 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭" 𝘝𝘪𝘣𝘦
𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘱
𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢
𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘖𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯-𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
Thank you so much to Parker A. Garner and TorchLit Ink for an e-ARC copy of this novel! Despite being sent this novel, this will never influence or affect my reviews.
**Trigger Warning: This novel is dark and does deal with topics regarding depression and features an almost “stockholm syndrome” style relationship.**
This honestly was a masterpiece for me. I can completely relate to our FMC Maggie in so many ways and she is such a strong, deserving, beautiful being. I really liked the way Parker wrote this novel in a way that shows depression and those dark intrusive thoughts in a way that is delicate but also holds a deep weight and in a weird way there is still beauty in the deepest darkest parts of it all.
This novel was one I was extremely excited for from seeing the tropes and cover. Something about it drew me in and I just knew in my gut I would enjoy this. I was honestly shocked at how beautifully written this novel was. There is so much deep rooted hurt, but also so much strength woven into this piece.
I think this novel also makes you really reflect on what you would really give for someone you love, and the idea of when you are aware death is coming is that when you truly start living. So many people in this novel are intertwined and are affected in very different ways, but they all carry some level of hurt or grief or regret. I think it is a very humanistic trait to just want to live and truly live, not just going through the motions. That push to find light even in the darkest of places, and find beauty in all attributes of life even the darker parts of it.
I also really enjoyed the contrasts between some of the characters despite being in similar situations, or almost being the opposite to prove a point of how people react to things so vastly different. Irina and Maggie have both been in similar positions with Alistar and both react in such different ways from each other, having their own unique traumas and betrayals from him. Despite both being pawns. Sean as well very much exudes a morally grey energy, but still holds some level of compassion. Despite being given what we thought was everything he’d ever want or need. I also really enjoyed how Margaux and Maggie were SUCH polar opposites, and the way Margaux represents something so dark or scary in such a lovely and embracing way. Of course I do love Ronan and Lyric as well, their dynamic and banter is so intriguing to me. I just can't get enough. I love them all.
𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙: Yes. This novel does have some dark themes and a very manipulative/emotionally abusive relationship, so please check the triggers. But I do think there is something beautifully tragic in this novel. A way to find hope when there seems to be no way out.
𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨: ABSOLUTELY. I adore so many characters and their dimension to this universe. I would absolutely love to continue this if Parker made a series, or even stand alone novels within the same universe. I definitely know who’s stories I would want to know more about.
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬:
𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴/𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴
𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴
𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴
𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯
𝘎𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦
𝘗𝘖𝘝𝘴 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 2 𝘈𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴
"𝘈 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭" 𝘝𝘪𝘣𝘦
𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘱
𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢
𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘖𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯-𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
Thank you so much to Parker A. Garner and TorchLit Ink for an e-ARC copy of this novel! Despite being sent this novel, this will never influence or affect my reviews.
**Trigger Warning: This novel is dark and does deal with topics regarding depression and features an almost “stockholm syndrome” style relationship.**
This honestly was a masterpiece for me. I can completely relate to our FMC Maggie in so many ways and she is such a strong, deserving, beautiful being. I really liked the way Parker wrote this novel in a way that shows depression and those dark intrusive thoughts in a way that is delicate but also holds a deep weight and in a weird way there is still beauty in the deepest darkest parts of it all.
This novel was one I was extremely excited for from seeing the tropes and cover. Something about it drew me in and I just knew in my gut I would enjoy this. I was honestly shocked at how beautifully written this novel was. There is so much deep rooted hurt, but also so much strength woven into this piece.
I think this novel also makes you really reflect on what you would really give for someone you love, and the idea of when you are aware death is coming is that when you truly start living. So many people in this novel are intertwined and are affected in very different ways, but they all carry some level of hurt or grief or regret. I think it is a very humanistic trait to just want to live and truly live, not just going through the motions. That push to find light even in the darkest of places, and find beauty in all attributes of life even the darker parts of it.
I also really enjoyed the contrasts between some of the characters despite being in similar situations, or almost being the opposite to prove a point of how people react to things so vastly different. Irina and Maggie have both been in similar positions with Alistar and both react in such different ways from each other, having their own unique traumas and betrayals from him. Despite both being pawns. Sean as well very much exudes a morally grey energy, but still holds some level of compassion. Despite being given what we thought was everything he’d ever want or need. I also really enjoyed how Margaux and Maggie were SUCH polar opposites, and the way Margaux represents something so dark or scary in such a lovely and embracing way. Of course I do love Ronan and Lyric as well, their dynamic and banter is so intriguing to me. I just can't get enough. I love them all.
𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙄 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙: Yes. This novel does have some dark themes and a very manipulative/emotionally abusive relationship, so please check the triggers. But I do think there is something beautifully tragic in this novel. A way to find hope when there seems to be no way out.
𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨: ABSOLUTELY. I adore so many characters and their dimension to this universe. I would absolutely love to continue this if Parker made a series, or even stand alone novels within the same universe. I definitely know who’s stories I would want to know more about.
October 3, 2025
This book gets a 4.5 out of me! The only reason this is getting a 4.5 instead of a 4 is because I keep thinking about it over and over and the story. Let's start this review off on what I didn't like. In the begging, it's not bad but it's not great. The story keeps jumping from future to past but I liked the way the author did the chapters as it has time stamps and you know if your reading current or past (except for when it comes to later in the book, the past is italicized and present is regular print but in the same chapter). But what I didn't like is in my copy (and I got an advanced copy for my review), it talks about Maggie has her friend and boyfriend in the begging. Her friend is left in the house and then has died and she needs to go back but there is minimal mention of this friend later on in the book. This confused me and also when her friends are calling to her while in the house, what were they seeing? I think this would have helped draw you into Maggie/Magpie in the beginning more with her struggle with the darkness. The first few chapters were fine. No issues and then for the next about 25% of the book I was bored. I almost had to put it down and try again because I struggled with the back and forth and not really understanding or being gripped into the story. I'm glad I didn't put it down! When you get to about 40-45% of the book, that is when it starts to get great! And boy oh boy does it. Like I said, I was going to give it 4 because of the last half but I keep thinking about it and how I couldn't put it down. Also the keys kinda remind me of Locke & Key (the show) but instead of places/things, it's people's soles. I will spoil that much of the book (but there is more to the keys than that).
So Maggie starts off in the book just lost in the world and going with the motions. I see this all the time as well as has been a person just going through the motions of everyday life. Then she gets "trapped" by the house and it flashes between her escaped life and her loosing herself to the house. As the story progresses, it's a story where you find out that she wants to actually live and her struggles to try and get that back. She meets the original person that has the power, the person the curse came from/caused and the purpose behind the keys and the struggle that when people get power, they will crave more and more of it. I do wish that it would give dates for the first set of key people and at what point they were acquired (the ones that are spoken of). I think this would have been helpful to know how long this has been going on for. And then the last bit! The "battle" scene was interesting to say the least and I wasn't expecting what happened. I know this review is vague but I don't want to give too much away. Also the very very very end is predictable but I was hoping for it to be honest. The story is now living in my brain. And the author did a great job taking her struggles and putting it on the pages. I think there could be a lot more books in the series to tie everything together in a nice neat bow and give us the happy endings we want.
So Maggie starts off in the book just lost in the world and going with the motions. I see this all the time as well as has been a person just going through the motions of everyday life. Then she gets "trapped" by the house and it flashes between her escaped life and her loosing herself to the house. As the story progresses, it's a story where you find out that she wants to actually live and her struggles to try and get that back. She meets the original person that has the power, the person the curse came from/caused and the purpose behind the keys and the struggle that when people get power, they will crave more and more of it. I do wish that it would give dates for the first set of key people and at what point they were acquired (the ones that are spoken of). I think this would have been helpful to know how long this has been going on for. And then the last bit! The "battle" scene was interesting to say the least and I wasn't expecting what happened. I know this review is vague but I don't want to give too much away. Also the very very very end is predictable but I was hoping for it to be honest. The story is now living in my brain. And the author did a great job taking her struggles and putting it on the pages. I think there could be a lot more books in the series to tie everything together in a nice neat bow and give us the happy endings we want.
October 3, 2025
Magpie | Parker A. Garner
🖤🖤🖤🖤/5
Parker A. Garner has done it yet again, and I'm still trying to process how deeply this book crawled inside my chest and made a home there. Because who has time for a typical haunted house story, anymore? Not me. This one is visceral. It's raw. It's not just the kind of book you devour...these pages devour you right back.
Our FMC Maggie, has been drifting through life feeling like a ghost in her own body; she’s numb, disconnected, watching herself from the outside. When she strolls into the infamous Wandering House on Halloween night, she doesn't just meet something terrifying. She meets something that knows her. Something that understands the darkness she's been carrying. The house's master, Alister (boo, hiss!), offers her exactly what she thinks she wants: a life without pain. But freedom always has a price.
In this story, we get two timelines: Maggie as Magpie, trapped in the house's twisted reality, and years later when she's trying to rebuild herself, to outrun what happened. But the house comes calling again, and this time, Maggie has to decide: does she surrender to the shadows, or does she finally fight for her life?
The atmosphere is my jam. Gothic, dripping with dark magic and absolutely haunting. The house itself feels alive: menacing, seductive and completely consuming. We’re also treated to a BRILLIANT magic system using keys as power. The symbolism of doors, choices and the concept of personal freedom weren’t lost on me. Every single detail felt intentional and significant.
This book speaks to struggles so many of us and those we love battle every day: that slow slide into numbness, that tango with darkness that whispers nightmarish nothings and reasons you don’t deserve to be here or anywhere. Maggie's journey is achingly real. This is about survival, about clawing your way back to the light when the darkness feels easier.
In a way, this book is darker than Parker's previous work, and it goes DEEP into themes of depression, struggling with inner demons, and deciding whether to participate in life or surrender to the void. It's heavy. It's beautiful. It's a healing story dressed up as a horror fantasy, and it might be exactly what someone needs to read right now.
Tropes:
⏳ Dual timeline / then & now
👻 Dark academia meets haunted house
💀 Falling for the monster / morally gray love interest
🏠 The house is alive
😈 Deal with the devil
🌑 Found in the dark / lost to the light
🥀 Girl unravels (and rebuilds)
🧠 Mental health as magic / allegorical fantasy
🖤 Power imbalance romance
💔 Tragic past, dangerous present
🪞 Emotionally complex heroine
🔥 Open door spice in a gothic world
🩶 Villain love interest (…or is he?)
😥 Trauma bonding
⛓️ Escaping a toxic bond
🤚🏽 Confronting the past to save the future
🐦⬛ Beauty in the macabre
🩹 Haunting as healing
Parker poured her entire soul into these pages and it SHOWS. This story is something that will slip under your skin and take root. Magpie moved me, shattered me, and put me back together.
Thank you to Parker A. Garner and Torch Lit Ink for the opportunity to disappear into this book.
🖤🖤🖤🖤/5
Parker A. Garner has done it yet again, and I'm still trying to process how deeply this book crawled inside my chest and made a home there. Because who has time for a typical haunted house story, anymore? Not me. This one is visceral. It's raw. It's not just the kind of book you devour...these pages devour you right back.
Our FMC Maggie, has been drifting through life feeling like a ghost in her own body; she’s numb, disconnected, watching herself from the outside. When she strolls into the infamous Wandering House on Halloween night, she doesn't just meet something terrifying. She meets something that knows her. Something that understands the darkness she's been carrying. The house's master, Alister (boo, hiss!), offers her exactly what she thinks she wants: a life without pain. But freedom always has a price.
In this story, we get two timelines: Maggie as Magpie, trapped in the house's twisted reality, and years later when she's trying to rebuild herself, to outrun what happened. But the house comes calling again, and this time, Maggie has to decide: does she surrender to the shadows, or does she finally fight for her life?
The atmosphere is my jam. Gothic, dripping with dark magic and absolutely haunting. The house itself feels alive: menacing, seductive and completely consuming. We’re also treated to a BRILLIANT magic system using keys as power. The symbolism of doors, choices and the concept of personal freedom weren’t lost on me. Every single detail felt intentional and significant.
This book speaks to struggles so many of us and those we love battle every day: that slow slide into numbness, that tango with darkness that whispers nightmarish nothings and reasons you don’t deserve to be here or anywhere. Maggie's journey is achingly real. This is about survival, about clawing your way back to the light when the darkness feels easier.
In a way, this book is darker than Parker's previous work, and it goes DEEP into themes of depression, struggling with inner demons, and deciding whether to participate in life or surrender to the void. It's heavy. It's beautiful. It's a healing story dressed up as a horror fantasy, and it might be exactly what someone needs to read right now.
Tropes:
⏳ Dual timeline / then & now
👻 Dark academia meets haunted house
💀 Falling for the monster / morally gray love interest
🏠 The house is alive
😈 Deal with the devil
🌑 Found in the dark / lost to the light
🥀 Girl unravels (and rebuilds)
🧠 Mental health as magic / allegorical fantasy
🖤 Power imbalance romance
💔 Tragic past, dangerous present
🪞 Emotionally complex heroine
🔥 Open door spice in a gothic world
🩶 Villain love interest (…or is he?)
😥 Trauma bonding
⛓️ Escaping a toxic bond
🤚🏽 Confronting the past to save the future
🐦⬛ Beauty in the macabre
🩹 Haunting as healing
Parker poured her entire soul into these pages and it SHOWS. This story is something that will slip under your skin and take root. Magpie moved me, shattered me, and put me back together.
Thank you to Parker A. Garner and Torch Lit Ink for the opportunity to disappear into this book.
September 26, 2025
"Don't run from the dark, and the hurt, and the pain of life. Embrace it and find the light in the midst of it.”
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This book deserves WAY more than 5 stars. I finished it last night in less than 24 hours and I’m STILL reeling and trying to process my emotions and thoughts.
This book is an eerie, haunting depiction of depression and what it does/feels like to a person and how difficult it is to pull yourself out of the darkness. As someone who struggles with severe anxiety and depression, this book touched my soul in such a profound way. By the time I got to the last page, I was bawling my eyes out and I do NOT cry over books like that. It starts out with dual timelines of Before and After. Before submitting and becoming the Magpie, we see Maggie on a downward spiral, slowly succumbing to her dark thoughts, loneliness, numb derealization before she even really knew what was happening. We see her give up on life to become the Magpie, and then watch as she tries to cope with her decisions—trying to figure out how to escape her cage once she starts understanding what she gave up. As heart wrenching and dark as this story gets, it ends beautifully with Maggie finally realizing that she wants to truly LIVE—conquering her demons and clawing her way back out of the darkness that had all but consumed her.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
“Life is hard, Maggie. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something. There is pain, and heartbreak, and sorrow, more than most people deserve. But...it is also beautiful, and rare, and filled with so much magic that it takes my breath away. And you know what? It doesn't mean a goddamn thing if you don't let yourself feel it. All of it—the good and the bad.“
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I have never read anything like this before and it has literally changed my brain chemistry, and I want to thank Parker and Torch Lit Ink for the ARC. Like I said, I’m still processing so I’ll most likely have more thoughts and feelings that I’ll update here as they come. This book is a masterpiece and anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health NEEDS to read this book.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This book deserves WAY more than 5 stars. I finished it last night in less than 24 hours and I’m STILL reeling and trying to process my emotions and thoughts.
This book is an eerie, haunting depiction of depression and what it does/feels like to a person and how difficult it is to pull yourself out of the darkness. As someone who struggles with severe anxiety and depression, this book touched my soul in such a profound way. By the time I got to the last page, I was bawling my eyes out and I do NOT cry over books like that. It starts out with dual timelines of Before and After. Before submitting and becoming the Magpie, we see Maggie on a downward spiral, slowly succumbing to her dark thoughts, loneliness, numb derealization before she even really knew what was happening. We see her give up on life to become the Magpie, and then watch as she tries to cope with her decisions—trying to figure out how to escape her cage once she starts understanding what she gave up. As heart wrenching and dark as this story gets, it ends beautifully with Maggie finally realizing that she wants to truly LIVE—conquering her demons and clawing her way back out of the darkness that had all but consumed her.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
“Life is hard, Maggie. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something. There is pain, and heartbreak, and sorrow, more than most people deserve. But...it is also beautiful, and rare, and filled with so much magic that it takes my breath away. And you know what? It doesn't mean a goddamn thing if you don't let yourself feel it. All of it—the good and the bad.“
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I have never read anything like this before and it has literally changed my brain chemistry, and I want to thank Parker and Torch Lit Ink for the ARC. Like I said, I’m still processing so I’ll most likely have more thoughts and feelings that I’ll update here as they come. This book is a masterpiece and anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health NEEDS to read this book.
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